More of this little guy

Eli is attracted to our entry table and is constantly banging on it and standing up to it. One day several weeks ago, I heard all of these noises from the next room and then it was silent.  I went to check on him and found him here!  He surprised himself by climbing onto the shelf and didn't quite know what to do next!  He was stuck and couldn't figure out how to get off.  Notice it is only a few inches off the ground!  I could just watch him all day (of course, I literally have to watch him all day or he'd be in the toilet or into dad's computer cords!).

And here is our little concert pianist!  LOVES, LOVES the piano! 

Oh so serious!!

halloween 2008

This is what we saw while driving the kids to school Halloween morning. I think that the temperature gauge said 38 degrees!  What a beautiful, brisk fall morning!  

A few days prior, we were pumpkin hunting for Family Home Evening! Not quite sure about the "night" button on the camera--it made it a bit blurry. But you get the idea!

Off to school Halloween morning!  Notice how dark it is outside--UHG! We have a cat, a skeleton, and a little witch!  They had a school-wide parade followed by a lot of partying. 

Just before the trick-or-treating began--just look at these blondies! Davis had already taken his pillow case for the loot and headed out with friends!  

funny boy

So one day I was watching Eli as he was very interested in Roxy's dog toy. And for about 10 minutes they went back and forth "playing" with this toy. Eli would try to retrieve the toy from Roxy's grasp.

And he would try to escape with the toy.

You can see that he became quite frustrated with Roxy.  Look at that face!  This went on and on.

So a compromise was made. . . "you get one end and I get the other!"  It was hilarious!

And yes, this boy is becoming a busy body!  He races to the fridge when it opens and empties the bottom shelf of dressings and chocolate sauce! Too funny!

nothing cuter than school uniforms

We now have all 3 school-aged children in the same school! Davis and Natalie have been attending for 6 weeks and Maren just began today. And so far. . . they love it! We have been so happy with our decision. Just thought we would show just how cute these kids are in uniform!

a teenager at our house!

Happy Birthday Maren! 

She is an official teenager!  What a beautiful girl she is!  We are so grateful to have her as a part of our family.  Being the oldest, she tends be to "overworked and underpaid" --according to Maren--oh, the life of the oldest!  She is a great example for her younger siblings (and parents). She is persistent, cheerful, and very witty.  She has a great smile, makes friends easily, and loves to bake. Maren is an awesome swimmer (year round team), an outstanding singer (completely on key and has been since she was 2 years old), and enjoys photography.  We are so proud of Maren--the good choices that she makes and the young woman she is becoming.  We hope you have had a great day, princess! We love you! 

FAMILY

I usually don't include videos in our blog, but this one really hit my soul. How grateful I am for the Proclamation that was given to the world by our Heavenly Father through a latter-day prophet. We live in such prosperous times--we are blessed with so much. Yet, in the end, the family--our family is what matters--ALL that matters. The world tries so hard (and is very successful) in tearing the family unit apart--literally. And now we are witnessing an attempt to try to redefine the family unit altogether. This video is a beautiful reminder of our Heavenly Father's plan--He is mindful of us and will bless us--I know this.

Birthday fun

Just thought that I should document Davis' birthday party since it was a few weeks ago. A few days before his birthday, Maren attended a youth fireside by the BYU Football team and coach. Gooooo Cougars!!  Maren took Davis' football without him knowing and had the team members sign it--Max Hall #15 and all!  She gave it to him that night as an early birthday present.  He was so surprised and loves to show all his friends his prized possession. Wasn't that so thoughtful?!  Love that girl!  Love this boy, too!  

This year Davis got to have a friend birthday party (an every other year thing).  So we loaded up 5 of his friends and had a fun filled evening at Boondocks!  They all had a great time!  We were sorry that one of his friends got a bit sick towards the end, but the evening began with huge smiles on their faces, as you can see!

We're so glad that you had a great 10th, Davis!  We are so thankful to have you as part of our family!  We love you!